Week 32 - Mt Mindlab

I have to be honest and say I don't know if I've enjoyed the whole experience as many seem to... My own (incorrect) ideas about what the course involved, under-estimation of workload required for the course, family issues and my position as a second year teacher all contributed. I know that this has been a huge juggle for everyone but for myself I've often wondered if was a bit too early to do this?

For most of this year I have felt that I am just doing a lot of things not as well as I could. Handing in assignments I wasn't totally happy with to just get it done and off my desk didn't feel great, at the same time being less prepared than I would like for new teaching topics due to the pressure of homework. I guess this is the reality of part-time postgraduate study and it's made me think very hard about going there again. But hey, I've done it now and am as proud and relieved as punch. I kind of feel like I've been doing altitude training and that going back to just a regular teacher workload will seem pretty easy after this (I hope). I'm also proud of the example I've set my teenage daughters about working hard and making sacrifices to achieve your goals (evenings, dawn, weekends, holidays etc).

As I near the end I can see more benefits and feel that perhaps I have learnt something along the way about leadership and how I can and do lead everyday. For me, this is a highlight and I feel more confident in that role. I would have loved to undertake this with at least one other teacher from my school and I wonder if others feel the same? I would recommend that to anyone considering Mindlab. The conversations I've had over Google+ have been great and a huge support but planning and implementing ideas together would be really useful.

In terms of digital collaboration I don't feel I've made the progress I would like to - yet. Time to absorb, research, plan, implement and test some of the many possibilities will come I suppose and at least I have more awareness of the processes involved and the pedagogical framework to support them. I come from a background of using technology and have high expectations for myself here.

I'm more cogniscant of my learners needs definitely - I always made the effort to get to know my students but making those connections and finding out how they learn best and how I can help them do that has become far more central to my practice.

My next project is to complete my Teacher Registration, plenty of cross-crediting opportunities available from my assignments thankfully. I would like to complete one of the free Te Reo courses run by AUT and aim to get together a group of teachers from my school to do it together. I'm going to delay any further post-grad for a while and just concentrate on trying to be a better teacher for now - I feel I have a big backlog of ideas to pursue and that's enough for now. Next year I aim to apply to be a Microsoft Expert in Education as another challenge, as my school is a Microsoft Academy institution this makes a lot of sense in terms of what I can offer.

I am a far more reflective teacher and hopefully I think I will be a better one. So thanks Mindlab and everyone who has helped me along the way, ultimately it was a very worthwhile experience - it turns out it was worth it after all!

Criteria 4

Fully registered teachers demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of personal professional practice.

Key indicators:

• Identify professional learning goals in consultation with colleagues.
• Participate responsively in professional learning opportunities within the learning community.
• Initiate learning opportunities to advance personal professional knowledge and skills.

Guiding question

How do I/can I utilise e-learning to further my professional learning and development?

I am the Faculty Lead Person for Social Sciences at my school, completing the Mindlab course has encouraged me to step forward to a leading position at an early stage of my career and see the ways in which my e-learning interest can support my colleagues. I contribute to and have led Faculty and full-staff PD on different aspects of digital technology and useful ways to employ them in the classroom. I have established a 'TechTips' page on out Faculty OneNote site for easy access to user-friendly ideas aimed at increasing teacher use of the technology.

Criteria 7

Fully registered teachers promote a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.

Key indicators:

• Demonstrate effective management of the learning setting which incorporates successful strategies to engage and motivate ākonga/learners.
• Foster trust, respect, and cooperation with and among ākonga/learners.

Guiding question

How do I promote a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive learning environment that embraces e-learning and engages learners?

I am far more aware of the different needs my learners may present with - by surveying students as to what they have found enjoyable, what works for them, if they feel safe or confident asking questions and working towards structured and creative collaborative strategies I am increasing the level of trust I build with my students. They know I am genuinely interested in their feedback and will respond to it.

References

Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R.(1993). Reflective Practice for Educators.California.Cornwin Press, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/RefPract/Osterman_Kottkamp_extract.pdf

Ministry of Education (nd). Practising teacher Criteria and e-learning . Retrieved from http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Professional-learning/Registered-Teacher-Criteria-and-e-learning

Week 31 - Interdiscplinary Learning

My Interdisciplinary Map - more of a plant really... hopefully with some strong shoots but room for new growth and grafts to make new connections as I learn.

Interdisciplinary Learning

There are three major representations identified in the Interdisciplinary Learning model:

• interdisciplinary
• integrated
• integrative

A common strand is the conscious application of teaching, exploring, researching on a given theme. An interdisciplinary approach consciously combines two or more disciplines while keeping them distinct whereas integrated and integrative move towards transcending the discipline boundaries to a wider thematic approach capable of real world application and student centred learning.

These concepts are not new but perhaps now more than ever there is a 'perfect storm' building allowing the potential benefits of interdisciplinary study to blossom. We may define 'discipline' as "a process in which learning finds expression" (Gozzer, p. 286, 1982 in Mathison & Freeman, 1997). 

My Experience of Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning

In Term 1 at my school we undertook an interdisciplinary approach to setting a social studies achievement standard AS 91042 Report on Personal Involvement in a Social Justice and Human Rights Action. This was largely directed by Social Studies but was also supported by teaching in Religious Education, Technology and Business Studies. It was the first time this particular standard had been set and there was a lot of planning and discussion involved and presented many components of inter-disciplinary teaching and learning.

The Standard hinged on student participation in the Caritas Challenge - a 1 day event fully supported by the school every year. Caritas, a Catholic aid agency, runs Challenge Days designed for full day participation to raise awareness and money for a chosen community. This year the focus is on Cambodia and helping communities there by raising funds to help improve living and working conditions via initiatives such as water filters, farming co-operatives, legal help for land ownership and drought prevention measures. On the day the whole of Year 10 participates in various activities designed to raise awareness of the conditions facing people in Cambodia every day - they collect water in small containers from a local creek and boil to purify, try to complete work in a difficult outdoor classroom with  little resources, complete bag-making tasks to reflect unfair working conditions etc. Students do not bring phones (a huge challenge for many), are supplied with basic food and must perform the tasks to 'earn' their sponsorship money.

The Social Studies faculty taught the background to this as part of the Human Rights topic. Students developed a sound background knowledge to the history of the UDHR and created a 'wall of rights' in each classroom. In-depth case study was completed on Cambodia with students discovering the legacy left by Pol Pot's regime and the long term impacts it has generated.

In Religious Education, students learnt of the Catholic Social Teaching Principles advocated by Caritas: stewardship of people and the environment, solidarity, justice and the common good. This was reinforced with frequent links to the Rights visible in the classroom and allowed connections to be made in different contexts. Students were also researching the legacy of one of the founding saints of Baradene, Madeleine Sophie Barat, whose quote was to form the basis of a speech on social action as embodied by the school and themselves, 

"Your actions, even more than your words, are an eloquent example to the world".

The Technology faculty supported the initiative with students completing research into unfair working conditions in Cambodia and how large western corporations may employ sweatshop labour in manufacturing labels coveted by many of the girls themselves. Business Studies, within the Commerce faculty, also investigated this aspect of labour and production. On the day teachers from all faculties were rostered to run activities and the Technology department produced the food for students; basic kebabs and rice, crackers and fruit.

Students completed a booklet reflecting on and evaluating their activities on the day, their fund-raising success and proposed alternative actions they could plan - considering positives and negatives in terms of raising money and/or awareness for the issue. It was a great opportunity for students to create authentic learning opportunities with real-life scenarios well-planned and considered. Real-life examples helped students achieve a deeper level of empathy and understanding and it really touched many of them. 

Challenges

This took a lot of planning and many meetings but was overall a great success. As I teach my Year 10 class for both Social Studies and RE it was a great opportunity to see students making the connections and integrating learning from other Faculties and their own research. They informed me on aspects of sweatshop labour and business gleaned from other subjects. There were challenges in establishing the areas of responsibility for teaching and defining the marking boundaries for A/M/E needed quite a lot of discussion. As this was largely initiated by Social Sciences, we took responsibility for the marking and establishing those boundaries with clear directives to RE in particular on required teaching.

In following years it will be easier to smooth some of the planning and to incorporate greater collaborative efforts by students and faculties. As quoted in Mathison & Freeman "[it takes]... time to shape a coherent approach to interdisciplinarity (p. 4. 1997). Greater focus on critical thinking, communication and creativity via this interdisciplinary approach will need further attention, time and commitment but this was a positive start from which to build as showed some positive aspects of integrated learning by exploring a connected and real-world view of knowledge. The social awareness aspect and personal responses that students were encouraged to provide marks steps towards an integrative approach with more affective goals including personal impact and citizenship apparent.

Next Steps

In the near future I would like to incorporate greater access to authentic learning opportunities for my students. Real-world problem solving promotes engagement and the development of 21st century skills. Communicating with other departments and teachers to find out what they are studying will hopefully provide scope for new ideas and directions to develop. Students could peer review their ideas on how to best raise awareness and funds in the local community and carry out the initiative as a class. 

Continuing to harness the collaborative digital space I have available is another aspect I am committed to in my teaching. I see the benefits in so many ways as students find new and exciting ways to research, produce and share their work. I was thinking about the 'Wall of Rights' we have produced this year and am planning a class 'Sway' presentation next year where we can combine each student's 'Right' into a collaborative resource.

Underpinning both of these is my desire to consolidate  and continue my PLN involvement. Taking steps into Google+ has opened the door to a relatively (for me) undiscovered world of feedback, collaboration and learning and I look forward to establishing some future on-going connections.


References

• Mathison,S.. & Freeman, M.(1997). The logic of interdisciplinary studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997. Retrieved from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/mathisonlogic12004.pdf: This review of literature of interdisciplinary studies can help you explore more about the interdisciplinary approach used by teachers in their class.

• Jones, C.(2009). Interdisciplinary approach - Advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary studies. ESSAI, 7(26), 76-81. Retrieved from http://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=essai

Week 30 - Social Media for Teaching and Learning

As a parent of teenagers the image at right is certainly one that flashes through my mind from time to time. And I'm afraid to say in my classroom also. Not 'anti-social' in the sense of having no 'real' friends as I see how this has become such an important/vital aspect of relationships for many, but 'anti-social' in the sense of not having those conversations face to face with the nuances and expressions and intonations that lie within. These elements are essential for true fluency, as they are in any language. graphic retrieved from:http://blog.gremln.com/2015/05/28/infographic-your-social-media-presence-good-vs-bad/

21st century skills demand this digital fluency and the ability to successfully navigate that terrain with safety, empathy and respect. As teachers we have a responsibility to ensure these are reinforced in the classroom by example and it is important to help develop those skills. Utilising social media as a teaching and learning tool will provide not only opportunity for engaging with the digital lives of our students but also the framework and environment in which to scaffold and direct how they engage within it.

Have I used it in the classroom to date? Not really. Do I intend to change this? Yes. What potential problems do I need to consider?

My lit review encouraged me to not only consider the importance of incorporating the digital lives of my students and how I may incorporate that but also the fact that not all students necessarily view technology use in the classroom the same way. Their levels of mastery and self-efficacy beliefs play an important role in determining how students approach may the use of digital tools in the classroom. I must be mindful of the different levels of ease my students may have and not assume mastery or interest that doesn't exist. I recently surveyed a Year 9 class on their technology use outside school and it provided some good data on which to build further resources or opportunities for learning.

Class Blogging - I think this is a great place for me to start and fellow members of the Mindlab Community have provided good inspiration for this. Investigating and following school guidelines will underpin my approach as will reinforcement of the etiquette and is a vital step in establishing a blog. I will discuss this with Senior Management and other teachers who are employing blogs in their classrooms.

Retrieved from: http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/features/too-much-social-media-bad-for-kids-experts-say/article_160ec8cb-f303-5abd-a5f7-9f7bbe1458c4.html

How do I use Social Media for professional development? Not that much so far compared to some but getting there...

• The google+ community as formed the basis for some great relationships though and I have sought help and advice from fellow Mindlabbers and we regularly converse on Messenger.
• I'm developing a new relationship with Facebook and seeing benefits for PD there - I'm part of a PCT 2 group that has been a source for some interesting and relevant articles. Here is a great clip posted there (from tki) on enabling e-learning - well worth a watch and there are some interesting comments on the value of PLNs. Not sure if my embedding here is successful so here is the link: https://vimeo.com/35845467

• I've always regularly trawled internet sites and teacher resource sites in search of new and engaging resources or ideas from which to create my own. I now check-in on Edutopia and Pinterest for inspiration also.
• I must admit to logging on to Twitter only once during the Mindlab session and barely since. Partly a time-factor and of feeling slightly comfortable with a new format but also that I just don't 'click' with it. Who knows, maybe I'll get back to it one of these days when I have more time...
• I aim to improve my use of PLNs and hear good feedback  on Pond.

So, more to learn and process and embed in this ever-changing digital world of ours. As a few others have noted on their blogs there is certainly added time-pressure created by this and the mobile nature of it makes it even harder to switch off from the 'teacher day' I find.

References:

Melhuish, K.(2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators’professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrived on 05 May, 2015 from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/8482/thesis.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y :The author presents an in-depth investigation into the use of online social media networking in teachers’ professional development
Joosten, T.( 2013. October 22). Pearson: Social Media for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/tjoosten/social-media-for-teaching-and-learning-27456257?ref=http://professorjoosten.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/pearson-social-media-for-teaching-and.html

Week 29 - Influence of Law and Ethics on Professional Practice.

Ethics and My Practice - Reflection

My ethics impact on all my decisions and are informed by my belief system, life experiences, my parents and friends and are a foundation upon which I live and practice. Ethics drive my personal and professional choices. The code of ethics and the professional guidelines of my school are now incorporated into those processes.

The Code of Ethics for Certified Teachers in Aotearoa is not a set of rules but rather guiding principals that should be used to inform ethical decision-making. It exists to:

• promote the ethics of the profession

• inspire the quality of behaviour that reflects the honour and dignity of the profession

• encourage and emphasise those positive attributes of professional conduct that

• characterise strong and effective teaching

• enable members of the profession to appraise and reflect on their ethical decisions.

At my school ethical and moral decisions are also guided by the ethos of a Sacred Heart school and personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom is one of the goals. Students are encouraged to think about the effects of their actions and to take responsibility for them. Our curriculum includes Religious Education to a senior level and students explore issues relating to conscience, ethics and morality. For instance my Year class considered how beliefs about life after death in different religions may influence how people behave and the choices they make. Recently my Year 10 class have been examining concepts of reconciliation - Te Houhou Rongo, Ifoga and Hu Louiti and repairing and restoring broken relationships. It has led to many interesting discussions on decision-making and what drives our choices.

As teachers must navigate the increasingly complicated terrain created by social media and an increasing propensity to 'share'. For myself as a parent and a teacher at my school I am frequently faced with situations and decisions that challenge me to consider what is appropriate and/or ethical considering my position. I frequently interact with parents of students in a social environment and have my daughter's friends who are students in some of my classes stay the night on weekends or holiday with us.

I am extremely careful not to engage or share in conversations regarding other teachers and avoid mentioning anything to do with school work. When at Training College we were asked to search ourselves on Facebook to check on how our public profile may be viewed. I am not an extensive user but always hold this in mind when adding or sharing. I'm aware that any posts I make on my daughters' feeds will be viewed by many girls I teach and have also had conversations with my daughters regarding sharing any photos of myself.

Being questioned about what I think about a new teacher at the school, the direction the school is taking on certain issues, its focus on academic standards and what I think of the leadership at the school were all questions I have been asked recently in social situations. I have at times avoided going out if I know a lot of parents will be there as I find this tiring and not a little boring - it seems that informal 'parent-teacher' interviews are considered ok by many. I have learnt to politely shut these conversations down or deflect them to safer territory. Though of course I can comment as a parent I am conscious of my responsibility to my school community. I don't believe it is ethical of me to partake in these chats while at a party and where things may possibly be misconstrued.

My common sense to guides me - what would I be happy with being repeated to others? am I sharing 'inside' or private information? Am I being indiscreet? My own personal ethics and morals guide me at these times. However, I was really interested to read Hall's article outlining steps for exploring ethical problems and can see how these can also help guide me in any future issues. Considering and including the Code of Ethics for Certified Teachers will add more 'points' to my personal moral compass and help guide the right choices as I continue on my career path.


References

Education Council. (nd). Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0

Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers

Week 28 - Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness.

This has been a really interesting week in which to consider my Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness. The halls and grounds have been ringing with the stirring sounds of hundreds of girls practicing for the House Haka competition and Matariki celebrations have provided a rich background to my reflection.

What does it mean to be culturally responsive?

Being culturally responsive means teaching to and through students' particular cultural identity. As teachers we use that knowledge and responsibility to filter through what students know, do and understand.

Culture is not only defined by race, gender or ethnicity but also by community, practices, language and identity - all facets of what help 'locate' an individual in their world. The increasingly diverse nature of our society is reflected in the faces of the students we see in front of us every day - each bringing their own lived cultural experience with them.

Creating opportunities for continued authentic and relevant engagement with Maori learners continues to be a vital consideration in carrying out the promises of protection, partnership and participation outlined by the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

So, how to be responsive to that?

Culturally responsive pedagogy has been described as holding 5 main components 

• knowledge about the culture diversity

• culturally integrated content in the curriculum

• development of the learning community

• ability to communicating with culturally diverse students

• culturally responsive delivery of instruction (Gay, 2001).

The student-teacher relationship is pivotal for cultural responsiveness (Bishop, Berryman, Cavanagh and Teddy (2009). To know our students' culture can only be achieved by knowing our students. This was reinforced to me in a recent activity led by our PRT leader. Each of us were asked to stand and think of three words that would describe us.

We were asked to sit down if the word related to cultural background, ethnicity, gender strengths, job description, personality traits etc. It was obvious that a ethnic or gender related description was not commonly used to define oneself (by our varied group of staff). It made me consider how my students may define themselves - how I would be able to achieve that in order to respond to their cultural diversity and needs?

Get to know them.

Bishop, Berryman, Cavanagh and Teddy (2009) emphasise the importance of considering the student-teacher relationship in culturally responsive teaching.

Responsiveness in My Practice

Student relationships are at the core of my practice and a focus on building these is an inherent aspect of my school. We are encouraged to lead pepeha style introductions at the beginning of the year, identify our Maori and Pasifika learners and encourage links to family and community. Lately I have begun surveying my students on how they are feeling about their learning, what skills they have outside the classroom and what they may like to include in the classroom. This is helping me build a stronger picture of who my students are and what motivates them in the classroom. 

Baradene acknowledges and supports the diversity of its student population in many ways - vision, values, goals, pastoral care, activities and school-culture.

Links to whanau and the wider community are in evidence and the focus on relationships and pastoral care does much to support improving the educational achievement of Maori. Students have many opportunities in which to express their culture, to see that their teachers care for them and their learning and to know that this is a celebrated part of the school and the culture of their school. School-wide expressions and celebrations of Maori and Pasifika culture reinforce this.

I had the pleasure of attending out Matariki celebration this week. It was very special to share reflections, song and prayer as we welcomed the Maori New Year with fellow staff and students.

Areas for improvement? I discussed this with staff and had some interesting feedback, on the whole it was felt that the school is working really well to enhance and encourage whanau relationships and reinforces the value of culture at many levels. Continuing to embed Te Reo use into the classroom and introducing bi-lingual signage were suggestions for improvement.

On a personal note I intend to continue to develop my knowledge of my students' lives, to attempt to make links with their interests, whanau and community, to improve my pronunciation and use of Te Reo and to incorporate new and inventive methods allowing a responsive practice.

References
Bishop, R, Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T. & Teddy, L. (2009). Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5)734–742.
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2),106-116.